Harry Redknapp made huge West Ham prediction 10 years ago - it's not gone to plan | OneFootball

Harry Redknapp's West Ham predictions from 2016 have not come to fruition

West Ham made the switch from Upton Park to the London Stadium 10 years ago but now find themselves competing in the Championship.

The Hammers underwent a protracted saga to earn the lease to the stadium used to host the 2012 summer Olympics.

The venue gave the club a huge increase in capacity of their home, with the Boleyn Ground capable of hosting around 35,000 people.

It hasn’t been the smoothest of transitions for the Irons since moving home, with many supporters frustrated by the London Stadium in the years since leaving Upton Park.

Harry Redknapp’s West Ham prediction

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When West Ham made the switch in 2016, former manager Harry Redknapp predicted that it could help propel the club to becoming one of the biggest in England.

The now 79-year-old claimed that it would be a great move for the Hammers long-term, and that it would take them to another level.

“If you look at the teams in the Premier League it could be tough, but in the long term I think it’s a great move for the club,” said Redknapp, via the Independent.

“It’s going to take them onto another level.”

Redknapp predicted that by 2026, West Ham could be sold for big, big money and that it could take the club to similar heights as Manchester City, not long after they moved into the Etihad Stadium.

“Now they’re sitting on a goldmine of a football club which is one of the most valuable clubs anywhere,” he added.

“If they decide to sell, there will be people wanting to buy West Ham in the next 10 years, for sure.

“They’re in their sixties, seventies, they’re not going to keep it forever.

“So when they do sell and suddenly we get somebody coming from China, or from somewhere in Asia, like they did at Manchester City, it could be the biggest club in England.”

West Ham’s turbulent start to London Stadium life

West Ham enjoyed a strong final season at Upton Park, finishing seventh in the table with Dimitri Payet proving one of the standout players in the division.

But Slaven Bilic’s side slid to 11th with the move to the London Stadium, with the team taking a clear step backwards.

Two difficult campaigns followed, which culminated in a fan protest in March 2018 in which supporters ran onto the pitch and confronted the players during a game against Burnley.

One fan even grabbed the corner flag and planted it in the middle of the pitch, as they expressed their frustrations with the direction West Ham were going.

West Ham’s European glory

David Moyes returned as West Ham manager in December 2019 and steered the Hammers away from a possible relegation to the Championship.

And West Ham enjoyed a resurgence in form under the Scot, finishing sixth and seventh in the next two seasons, qualifying for European competition.

The Hammers reached the semi-finals of the Europa League in 2022, and went on to win the UEFA Conference League in 2023.

Despite the initial issues of moving to the London Stadium, West Ham had finally started to make it feel like home, and they enjoyed clear progress on the pitch as a result.

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West Ham’s slump to relegation

However, Moyes’ departure in May 2024 after a ninth place finish coincided with the beginning of their slump back down the table.

Recruitment in particular let West Ham down, with the arrivals of Niclas Fulkrug, Max Kilman, Luis Guilherme, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Guido Rodriguez all underwhelming.

The following summer wasn’t much better, with Mads Hermansen, Jean-Clair Todibo, Pablo and Soungoutou Magass among the signings.

West Ham ultimately suffered relegation to the Championship last season, and are now celebrating 10 years of the London Stadium in the second tier.

And while the ownership situation has changed, as Redknapp predicted, it is a long road back to the heights they reached under Moyes just a few years ago, let alone to the top of English football.